Ladder and support



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WILFRED G. MOBERG A ril 17, 1962 w. G. MOBERG LADDER AND SUPPORT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 2, 1960 INVENTOR.

WILFRED G. MOBERG to t 3,029,897 Patented Apr. 17, 1962 nice 3,029,897 LADDER AND SUPPGRT Wilfred G. Moherg, 1t) (Ioioratlo Circle, Holden, Mass,

assignor of one-tenth to Gadget-Of-The-Month Club,

Inc, North Hollywood, Calif., a corporation of Cahfornia Filed Sept. 2, 1960, Ser. No. 53,823 1 Claim. (Cl. 182-206) The present invention consists of an improved ladder which serves as a single section ladder or a multple section ladder consisting of a plurality of controllably assemblable and disassemblable ladder sections removably rigidly joined together in end-to-end relationship, and which may be used as a horizontal bench, platform, or the like, for various purposes, both indoors and outdoors.

The present application is primarily directed to the apparatus of the present invention in those forms where it effectively comprises an individual ladder section or a plurality of such ladder sections adapted to be rigidly removably fastened together in end-to-end relationship for use as a vertical-type ladder. The assembled ladder, consisting of either a single ladder section or a plurality of end-to-end joined ladder sections, may be provided with ladder top immobilizing means adapted to removably engage a stationary auxiliary supporting object whereby the ladder Will be maintained in a substantially vertical position for use. The ladder may include groundengageable base means at the bottom thereof which, in one form, may comprise roller means adapted to facilitate easy transport of the assembled ladder while in substantially upstanding vertical position and, in another form, may comprise immobilizing means adapted to engage an underlying ground surface in a manner such as to laterally immobilize the ladder with respect thereto.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved ladder of the character referred to above Which may include one longitudinal ladder section or a plurality of such ladder sections rigidly removably joined together in end-to-end relationship and wherein each ladder section is preferably of integral molded metallic construction (such as aluminum, magnesium, or the like although it may be of molded plastic or similar material) including two longitudinal stringer or edge flange members and an interconnecting thin-sheet longitudinal web member. The Web member is provided at spaced loca tions along the length thereof with portions defining transverse step aperture means and the edge flange members are spacedly provided with hand-hold transverse slots.

It is a further object to provide a ladder of the character set forth above, including ladder end-engaging means adapted to removably engage and fasten together adjacent ends of longitudinally adjacent ladder sections in longitudinally aligned relationship whereby to provide an assembled ladder consisting of any desired number of the longitudinally fastened ladder sections.

It is a further object to provide a ladder of the character referred to above, which may be additionally provided with scaffold or platform means having ladder stepengaging means removably fasteningly engageable with any one of the ladder step aperture means for mounting the scaffold or platform means in front of the ladder and transversely directed with respect thereto. The scaffold or platform means may, in certain forms of the invention, also be provided with auxiliary downwardly and inwardly inclined scaffold support means removably engageable with any of a plurality of transverse pairs of engaging means longitudinally spacedly carried by the stringer or edge flange members of each of the ladder sections whereby to stabilize the scafiold or platform means in 2 transversely supported relationship in front of the ladder section at any of a plurality of selected heights.

It is a further object to provide a ladder of the character referred to above which is of extremely simple, cheap, foolproof construction such as to be conducive to widespread use thereof.

Further objects are implicit in the detailed description which follows and will be apparent to persons skilled in the art after a careful study thereof.

For the purpose of clarifying the nature of the present invention, several exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the hereinbelow-described figures of the accompanying drawings and are described in detail hereinafter.

FIG. 1 is a reduced-size front elevational View of one exemplary embodiment of a single ladder section with one type of ground-'engageable base means shown in exploded relationship with respect to the bottom end thereof. It. should be understood that the assembled ladder of the present invention may consist of a single ladder section such as shown in FIG. 1 or any desired number thereof fastened together in end-to-end relationship in the general manner illustrated in FIG. 4 comprising an exploded view of the fastening means at longitudinally adjacent ends of two broken-away ladder sections. 7

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of FIG. 1 taken in the direction of the arrows 2-2 of FIG. 1 and shows the ladder section with the ground-engageable means fastened thereto.

FIG. 3 is a larger-scale, fragmentary, side perspective view taken in the general direction of the arrows 3-3 of FIG. 1 and illustrates one of the elements of one of the transversely spaced pairs of scaffold engaging means carried on each side of the ladder section of FIGS. 1 and 2 at similar longitudinally spaced locations therealong.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged exploded view of the top end of a lower ladder section and the bottom end of an upper ladder section showing, in exploded relationship, the ladder end-engaging means for rigidly removably fastening same together in aligned relationship.

FIG. 5 is a reduced-size elevational view showing one exemplary embodiment of the invention in mounted operative relationship with respect to the side wall of a building, an underlying ground surface, and two stationary auxiliary supporting window sills whereby to support the ladder vertically alongside of the wall of the building. This view also shows the scaffold or platform means in mounted relationship with respect to the ladder.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, partially broken-away oblique view illustrating one embodiment of the scaffold or plat form means shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows 7-7 of FIG. 5 and illustrates the engagement of one of the ladder top immobilizing means with respect to one of the window sills.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows 88 of FIG. 5. i

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows 99 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of an additional element including elastomeric means adapted to be effectively interposed between each of the hook portions, such as shown in FIG. 7, and the underlying window sill, as clearly shown in FIG. 12.

FIG. ll is a sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows 11--1l of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 7 which shows the hook means including the additional element and the elastomeric means shown in FIG. 10.

Referring to the figures for exemplary purposes, one illustrative embodiment of the invention takes a typical exemplary form, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein it comprises a. longitudinal ladder section, indicated generally at 20, which is shown as being of integral molded metallic construction including two longitudinal stringer or edge flange members 21L and 21R along opposite edges thereof and an interconnecting thin-sheet longitudinal web member 22 terminating in somewhat thicker opposite ends 23U and 23L of the ladder section 20. The web 22 is provided at equally longitudinally spaced locations along the length thereof with portions defining transverse step aperture means 24 adapted for use in climbing the ladder. The ladder section 26 may be provided at the bottom there of with ground-engageable base means, one form of which is indicated generally at 25 and which comprises roller means 26 carried by a transverse member 27 adapted to fit into the corresponding transverse slot 28L in the bottom end 23L of the ladder section 29 and to there be retained by means of threaded fastener means 29 passing through aligned holes 30 in front and back portions of the bottom end 23L of the ladder section 20 and similar aligned holes 31 in the transverse member 27. This provides an arrangement Where the ladder can be conveniently moved around while still in a substantially upright position. This is accomplished by rolling the roller means 26 along an underlying supporting surface (not shown). It should be noted at this point that the upper end of the ladder must be effectively fastened with respect to stationary auxiliary supporting object means in order to keep the ladder stable during use when the roller means 26 is resting on a horizontal underlying supporting surface. This is not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, but is shown in a slightly different overall ladder arrangement in FIG. and will be described in detail hereinafter in connection therewith.

In those instances where two or more ladder sections are rigidly removably joined together in end-to-end relationship, the invention includes ladder end-engaging means, such as clearly shown in FTG. 4 and indicated generally by the bracketed elements designated by the reference numeral 32. In the example illustrated, the lower end 23L of the upper ladder section 20 is provided along each stringer or edge flange 21L and 21R with means defining a longitudinal slot 33. The two longitudinal slots 33 carried by each of the side stringers or edge flanges 21L and 21R of the lower end 23L of the upper ladder section 20 and the corresponding two slot 33 carried by the edge flanges 21L and 21R of the upper end 23U of the lower ladder section 20 are placed in alignment and receive therein two similar longitudinal connection bar means 34, which are fastened with respect thereto by suitable threaded bolts 35 and nuts 36, whereby to provide a rigid connection between the uper end 23U of the lower ladder section 20' and the lower end 23L of the upper ladder section 20. This is clearly shown in exploded form in FIG. 4 and such a connection is indicated at C in FIG. 5.

FIG. 5 illustrates a multiple section ladder consisting of the lower partially broken away-ladder section 20 and the upper partially broken-away ladder section 20 joined together by the ladder end-engaging means 32 shown in FIG. 4 at the junction indicated at C in FIG. 5. The upper end of the assembled ladder is provided with ladder top immobilizing means, indicated generally at 37, removably adjustably carried by the top of the upper ladder section 20 for controllable engagement with a stationary auxiliary supporting object, which, in the form illustrated in FIG. 5, comprises two different window sills 33L and 38R. In the example illustrated, the ladder top immobilizing means 37 comprises a multiple section transverse member, indicated generally at 39, which consists of a plurality of elements 40 having threaded female receiving portions 41 and threaded projecting male portions 42 all adapted to be threadedly connected together in endto-end relationship whereby to provide a controllably lengthenable and shortenable transverse member 39, which has interposed therein at any selected location the con- 4 pling member 43, which is connected to the top end 23U of the upper ladder section 20. This is accomplished by way of a split sleeve portion 44 encircling the member 40 and being fastened thereto by suitable screw means 45, with the lower end of the coupling member 43 being received in the transverse slot 28U in the upper end 23U of the upper ladder section 26 and being fastened thereto by threaded fastener means 46.

Each of the two outermost sections of the transverse member 39 is fastened, such as by the welding 47, to a member 43 which is fastened by a threaded fastener means 49 to window sill-engageable hook portion 50, which is hooked over the corresponding window sill 38L or 38R whereby to effectively retain the top of the ladder against the vertical supporting wall 51, which carries the two windows 521. and 52R having the window sills 38L and 33R, respectively.

The lower end of the lowermost ladder section 20 is provided with a diiferent type of ground-engageable base means, indicated generally at 25, comprising a member 2"! fastened to the lower end 231. of the lower ladder section 29 in the same manner as the fastening of the ground-engageable means 25 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to the lower end 23L of the ladder section 20. However, the modified ground-engageable base means 25' shown in FIG. 5 does not have roller wheel means but instead has an immobilizing means comprising a point 26' adapted to slightly penetrate the underlying ground surface 53 whereby to firrly position the ladder against lateral movement.

The two hook portions may each directly engage the corresponding window sill 33L or 38R or may have an additional element provided with clastomeric means efiectively interposed between the hook portions and the window sill to prevent marring the window sill. Such an additional clement provided with elastorneric means is indicated generally at 54 in FIGS. l0, l1, and 12 and, the normal use position thereof, is shown in cross-section in FIG. 12 and in broken lines in engagement with the left window sill in FIG. 5, it being understood that it would be employed in both window sills or not at all. The additional element 54 comprises a transverse rod 55 adapted to b transversely extended through a hole 56 in the hook portion 50 and having blocks 57 at each end provided with elastomeric pads 58 on the undersnrfaces thereof adapted to contact each of the window sills 38L and 38R to prevent marring same.

In one form, the invention may include scaffold or platform means, such as is indicated generally at 59 in FIGS. 5 and 6 (FIG. 6 showing it fragmentarily). The scaffold or piatform means 59 includes a base portion 69, which is shown as being of substantially rectangular shape although not specifically so limited, provided with removable frictional anti-slip surface means 61 on the upper surface thereof and which may be in the form of removable rubber or plastic tiles, if desired, whereby to provide a firm footing for a person standing upon the platform 59. The platform means 59 is also provided with ladder-engaging means, indicated generally at 62, and, in the example illustrated, comprising ladder-step-engaging means including a portion 63 which is adapted to be inserted through any one of the ladder step apertures 24, after which the rotating locking member 64 is adapted to be rotated at right angles to prevent removal of the member 63, thus effectively locking the platform means 59 in front of the ladder and transversely directed with respect thereto and positioned at the level of any of the step apertures 24.

In th example illustrated, the platform means 59 is provided with additional auxiliary downwardly and inwardly inclined scaffold support means 65 comprising straps removably fastened to the undersurface of the platform base and 66 and having lower portions downwardly insertible into any given transversely spaced pair of outwardly directed scaifold support engaging means 67 carried by a plurality of equally longitudinally spaced locations along the outer sides of the stringer or edge flange member 21L and 21R of the ladder sections. This filmly stabilizes the platform means 59 in any one of the selected height locations in which it is capable of being fastened to the ladder.

The platform means 59 may be provided with safety railing means, indicated generally at 68, for protecting a worker standing on the platform. In the example illustrated, this takes the form of controllable effectively collapsible upstanding corner post means at each of the four corners of the platform, each having an upper portion 69U telescopically engageable with respect to a lower portion 69L, with the lower portion being hinged as indicated at 70 to the base platform 60 so that it can fold down when the platform is not in use to provide for convenient small space volume storage thereof. Interconnecting tensile member means 71 may be fastened between the upper ends of each of the four corner posts whereby to effectively define the safety railing generally indicated at 68 around the periphery of the platform.

It should be understood that the figures and the specific description thereof set forth in this application are for the purpose of illustrating the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention to the precise and detailed specific structure shown in the figures and specifically described hereinbefore. Rather, the real invention is intended to include substantially equivalent constructions embodying the basic teachings and in- 3 ventive concept of the present invention.

I claim:

An improved ladder, comprising: at least one longitudinal ladder section including two longitudinal edge flange members and an interconnecting thin-sheet longiturinal web member, said web member being provided at equally longitudinally spaced locations along the length thereof with portions defining transverse step means, ladder top immobilizing means removably adjustably carried by the top of the ladder for controllably engagement with a stationary auxiliary supporting object, said vent marring the window sill and ground-engageable base means provided with means removably engageable with the bottom end of the ladder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 331,736 Rose Dec. 1, 1885 508,099 Fisher Nov. 7, 1893 863,877 Regondi Aug. 20, 1907 897,929 Ridout Sept. 8, 1908 1,036,932 Thompson Aug. 27, 1912 1,714,044 Pedersen May 21, 1929 2,449,056 Clark Sept. 14, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 25,693 Great Britain Nov. 20, 1907 

